April 07, 2020, 12:43 PM
Local director Boo Junfeng has slammed a circulating WhatsApp message claiming that migrant workers are infecting domestic helpers with Covid-19, thus spreading it to families in Singapore.
"It is unfounded, xenophobic and spreads fear towards the migrant worker communities," said Boo, who urged recipients of the message to refrain from forwarding it.
"Our migrant worker friends could use a lot of help as thousands of them will be quarantined in poor living conditions," he added.
He then listed a couple of ways you can help migrant worker:
- Donate money to top up their prepaid cards
- Support NGOs to meet the needs of migrant workers through this spreadsheet
WhatsApp message details
The WhatsApp message claims that migrant workers have girlfriends who work as foreign domestic workers, which will then lead to mass infections in Singapore households.
It makes the unjustified assumption that 400 infected migrant workers will go on to infect half of their domestic helper girlfriends, leading to 200 infected foreign domestic workers:
"IF their girlfriends are mostly domestic helpers, and half are infected, these 200 infected maids will be the trigger to tip Singapore families into a Covid-19 disaster."
Taking 200 infected maids as an example, the WhatsApp message claims that it can lead to:
- 400 infected parents
- 200 infected grandparents
- 400 infected kids
"The foreign worker-maid contact is the weakest link in Singapore society that is not usually discussed. Do not downplay this simple model for what could already have quietly happened in the last one or two weeks," says the chain message.
You can read Boo's Facebook post below:
Top images credit: WhatsApp screenshot, LKYSPP.
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